SUU to Public Education

Vanez Butler, a native of Richfield, Utah, and a graduate of Richfield High, visited the College of Southern Utah (CSU) her senior year of high school and was hooked. She enrolled at CSU the fall of 1964 and has never regretted that decision.   

She thoroughly loved her time at CSU and took advantage of every opportunity to participate in activities and meet new friends. She joined the Thunderettes Drill team and performed at CSU games and at high schools throughout the state of Utah. She also joined Chi Sigma Upsilon Sorority, which became the hub of her life at CSU.

Her sorority sisters were a tight-knit circle of friends. They built floats together, participated in sports, planned parties with fraternities, shared household chores, as well as tears and joys, and yes, they even attended classes.

Pranks were common among the CSU sororities and fraternities. Vanez remembers one particular prank following an afternoon assembly practice. When she and her sorority sisters returned to the sorority house, they discovered every sink, bathtub, and toilet was filled with salamanders! The responsible fraternity brothers even called the sorority house during the escapade and left the land-line phone off the hook so they could hear the shrieks of terror. 

Vanez fondly remembers the small classes at CSU, and professors who knew the names of each student. Professors in the education department went a step further and individualized instruction and learning to each student. That personalized experience provided Vanez and her classmates with a jumpstart on their future careers as educators. She graduated in 1968 with a BA in education and a teaching credential. 

After interviewing with several school districts, Vanez and a roommate decided to take a leap of faith and accepted jobs as 2^nd grade teachers in California’s Moreno Valley Unified School District. While unsure how her CSU training would measure-up to that of other new teachers, she soon found it was far superior and was appreciative of the training she received at CSU.

Vanez went on to earn a master’s degree in school administration, becoming an assistant principal and later a principal at two different elementary schools. She was always excited to interview a teaching candidate from SUU because of the high-quality education each had received.

The last five years of her 40-year career were spent as the coordinator of staff development for her school district, where she provided teacher support and assessment for new teachers. In 2006, Vanez was selected as administrator of the year by her school district and runner-up for county administrator of the year.

One year, while being interviewed by a student intern, Vanez mentioned she graduated from SUU.  He was so excited to say he had attended the Utah Shakespeare Festival and marveled at the SUU campus. They had a wonderful conversation and she encouraged him to choose SUU for his college education.   

“It’s so easy to get excited when talking to students considering SUU,” Vanez exclaims.

Upon retiring Vanez, and her husband Frank, returned to her hometown of Richfield. They enjoy riding their ATV and exploring the beautiful mountains and areas of interest. They love supporting local sports activities, attending concerts and other community events. Vanez also volunteers with the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, the local public library and children’s justice center.

That tight-knit circle of sorority sisters, who supported each other so well at CSU, remain close and return each year to SUU Homecoming. They enjoy catching-up, looking at old yearbooks, participating in the all the homecoming activities, pretending they are young again, and have become affectionately known as “The Crazy Ladies.”

And they all are crazy about SUU!